About Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is a veteran award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter (Daley to Daley 1976-1992), and columnist with the Arab News at ArabNews.com. His writings and commentaries focus on Middle East issues, and politics and slice-of-life issues in American life. Check his links below to read his columns. He is the Managing Editor of The Arab Daily News online, TheDailyHookah.com and President/CEO of Urban Strategies Group media relations which provides media consulting services to governments, elected officials and private businesses.

The Arab Daily News Podcast

Rebranding ourselves as “Arabs” in the new Trump era

Why Arabs need to reinforce their identification as "Arabs" rather than as Muslims in the new era of President Donald Trump. Branding ourselves as Arabs will also help us fight the religious extremists and counter the rising anti-Muslim fears in the West and in the United States

Arab News Thursday November 17, 2016

By Ray Hanania

It’s time for the Arab World and Arab people to rebrand themselves in the era of newly elected President Donald Trump if we expect to see our issues addressed fairly.

Arabs can sit back and let events overtake us the way they always do. Or, we can become active and do what needs to be done that we haven’t done so far.

What can we do? We need a new Arab Spring, one driven by people with a clear, unified and achievable goal.

We need to replace emotion with reason, effective communications messaging, and goals that are more clearly defined to build bridges, not create obstacles with the West.

Arabs need to stop allowing others to define us. We need to define ourselves. And we have to answer a very important question: Are we “Muslim,” or are we “Arab?”

This is Ray Hanania’s column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, and the Reporter Newspapers.

Hanania also writes a weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com and for the Daily Hookah at www.TheDailyHookah.com.

An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the New America Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania is of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him and share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

(An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. American Palestinian Arab, Hanania writes a weekly column for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. He also writes each week for several mainstream American newspapers on American politics and life in Chicagoland. Reach him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

Why Donald Trump won the Nov. 8 election

Trump won by promising “change.” Trump won because he connected with mainstream American voters. Trump won because Americans are sick and tired of the racism and bigotry of the mainstream American news media. The more the media beat up on Trump, the more Trump's supporters came out to vote. Trump won because Hillary Clinton was a terrible candidate. Trump won because he had the backing of the middle class Americans, the "Reagan Democrats."

By Ray Hanania

Hillary Clinton lost the election because many mainstream Democrats tired of her arrogance, hypocrisies and insider elitism, and they abandoned her.

Just look at her numbers: In 2012, Barack Obama won 65.4 million votes against Mitt Romney (who got 61 million votes). In 2008, Obama won 69.6 million votes against John McCain (who got 60 million votes).

Hillary Clinton only received 60.9 million votes, slightly more than the 60.4 million votes Donald J. Trump received. But Trump defeated Clinton in the “battleground” states where it counted most, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin and North Carolina, earning 289 delegates while Clinton earned only 228.

One voting block that rejected Clinton and supported Trump were the “Reagan Democrats,” conservative Middle America Democrats disappointed with Obama.

Trump’s supporters connected with criticism of ObamaCare, which failed to provide affordable healthcare. Insurance and prescription costs are rising through the roof. Something must be done.

This is Ray Hanania’s column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, and the Reporter Newspapers.

Hanania also writes a weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com and for the Daily Hookah at www.TheDailyHookah.com.

An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the New America Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania is of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him and share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

(An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. American Palestinian Arab, Hanania writes a weekly column for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. He also writes each week for several mainstream American newspapers on American politics and life in Chicagoland. Reach him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

President-elect Donald J. Trump defied all predictions Tuesday night and soundly defeated his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, causing many who opposed him to wonder what policies he will pursue.

Most shocked were American Muslims who took his campaign rhetoric at face value rather than recognizing it as being typical of the polemic debate that characterizes heated American elections.

Muslims may have made a crucial political mistake, pursuing an emotional response to Trump’s rhetoric rather than recognizing the flexibility of election rhetoric to achieve their goals.

But they overreacted over his comments on fighting terrorism and Muslims, and that debate engulfed all of Trump’s views on the Middle East, including the issue of Palestine.

The trouble between Trump and Muslims began on Dec. 2, 2015 when Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik stormed a San Bernardino County Health Department Christmas party. The Muslim married couple murdered 14 people who had nothing to do with the Middle East conflict. They seriously injured 22 others.

This is Ray Hanania’s column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, the Reporter Newspapers,NewsAmericaNetwork.com, and IllinoisNewsNetwork.com.

Hanania also writes a weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com, and for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com and the Daily Hookah at www.TheDailyHookah.com.

An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the New America Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania is of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him and share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

(An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. American Palestinian Arab, Hanania writes a weekly column for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. He also writes each week for several mainstream American newspapers on American politics and life in Chicagoland. Reach him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

Can we ban hate campaign Ads next time?

By Ray Hanania

Has anyone else noticed that America is becoming a polarized nation? And worse, the two sides seem to be getting angrier and angrier?

I’ve never been happier to see an election end. The viciousness of the election for President has only set the tone for elections across the country. And it has also set the tone for how we feel as Americans.

How can anyone be happy or confident after watching all the vicious campaign ads this election season?

No matter who wins as president, this country will still have the same problems and our national leaders will solve none.

Healthcare is a disaster and costs keep rising. Crime is spreading and every weekend the death toll rises in Chicago and cities across America. ...

Click here to read the entire column ...

This is Ray Hanania’s column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, the Reporter Newspapers,NewsAmericaNetwork.com, and IllinoisNewsNetwork.com.

Hanania also writes a weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com, and for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com and the Daily Hookah at www.TheDailyHookah.com.

An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the New America Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania is of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him and share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

(An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. American Palestinian Arab, Hanania writes a weekly column for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. He also writes each week for several mainstream American newspapers on American politics and life in Chicagoland. Reach him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

Dead people voting? It's happened before

Donald Trump has said he believes that the election results on Tuesday Nov. 8, 2016 will be "rigged" and he's received a lot of criticism from the biased mainstream news media. But the truth is that elections are easily rigged and ghost voting and voter manipulation are common. A recent poll suggested that many Americans feel the same, especially the young

By Ray Hanania

Donald Trump has said he believes that the election results on Tuesday Nov. 8, 2016 will be "rigged" and he's received a lot of criticism from the biased mainstream news media.

But the truth is that elections are easily rigged and ghost voting and voter manipulation are common. It's amazing how people are claiming it can't happen that the election can't be rigged and that claims that it will be rigged are examples of why Donald Trump is unfit to be president.

But elections can be rigged and have been rigged in the past. The most notable was the battle between Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy in 1960 and the voter theft occurred in Chicago and in many major Democratically controlled cities.

That election was close and Nixon lost to Kennedy by 112,827 votes nationwide out of more than 68 million votes cast.

A recent poll suggested that many Americans feel the same, especially the young.

This is Ray Hanania’s column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News,Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, the Reporter Newspapers, NewsAmericaNetwork.com, and IllinoisNewsNetwork.com.

Hanania also writes a weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com, and for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com and the Daily Hookah at www.TheDailyHookah.com.

An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the New America Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania is of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him and share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

(An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. American Palestinian Arab, Hanania writes a weekly column for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. He also writes each week for several mainstream American newspapers on American politics and life in Chicagoland. Reach him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

Obama failed to deliver on promises to Arabs and Muslims

President Barack Obama grew up politically in an environment that included many prominent Arabs, Palestinians and Muslims before rising to national politics and becoming president. His background having a father who was raised Muslim (who later converted to Anglicanism and later became an atheist) sensitized him to the plight of the Palestinian people and to the challenges against Arabs and Muslims in America. But despite all that, Obama has been ineffective in championing their causes and has abandoned them to the wayside

Published in the Arab News in Saudi Arabia, Nov. 3, 2016

By Ray Hanania

When it comes to the issues of peace, justice and human rights in the Middle East, President Barack Obama is an enigma.

No other president has promised more to Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians and achieved so little.

It’s an important lesson for Arabs in American politics. It’s not what it claims to be.

I’m not just talking about any president. I’ve covered American politics for more than 40 years. Obama has had more personal and professional exposure to the rights of Arabs and Palestinians than any other successful American politician.

Obama matured in close proximity to prominent Arab and Palestinian activists in Chicago, which has one of the country’s largest Palestinian populations.

This is Ray Hanania’s column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News,Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, the Reporter Newspapers,NewsAmericaNetwork.com, and IllinoisNewsNetwork.com.

Hanania also writes a weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com.

An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the NewAmerica Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania is of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him and share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

(An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. American Palestinian Arab, Hanania writes a weekly column for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. He also writes each week for several mainstream American newspapers on American politics and life in Chicagoland. Reach him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

Cleveland Indians should change their name

The Cleveland Indians were defeated by the Chicago Cubs in the World Series championship on Wednesday night, Nov. 2, 2016 at Progressive Field in Cleveland in the 10th inning by a score of 8 to 7. But before the game was played, I wrote this column looking at the racism of the Cleveland Indian's name and how they should be disqualified from playing baseball until they change it.

Published in the Southwest News-Herald newspaper, Nov. 3, 2016

By Ray Hanania

If the Cleveland Indians end up winning the World Series, as it seems as I write this on Sunday, Game 5, I don’t think they should be given the World Series title until they own up to their historical disregard for humanity and American history.

They need to change their name, first.

“Cleveland Indians” is an offensive name and their symbol or mascot, Chief Wahoo is and has been disturbing.

That professional athletes would even want to be a part of a baseball team that denigrates and offends the cultural heritage of an entire race of people is disgusting.

Before the team was known as the Cleveland Indians, it had many official names and many nicknames. One nickname was the “Indians” because in the late 1890s, one of its key players was Native American player Louis Francis Sockalexis, who was an outfielder when the team was called the Cleveland Spiders.

This is Ray Hanania’s column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News,Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, the Reporter Newspapers,NewsAmericaNetwork.com, and IllinoisNewsNetwork.com.

Hanania also writes a weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com.

An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the NewAmerica Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania is of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him and share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

(An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. American Palestinian Arab, Hanania writes a weekly column for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. He also writes each week for several mainstream American newspapers on American politics and life in Chicagoland. Reach him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

Patlak campaign receives thousands from lawyers who appear before his board

In the race for the Cook County Board of Review, challenger Marty Stack is calling for a moratorium on all campaign and election donations from tax law firms whose lawyers appear before the county's tax review board, and is criticizing incumbent Dan Patlak for accepting thousands in campaign donations from law firms that appear before the board through his campaign election fund

Originally published in the DVN, The Regional, The Reporter Nov. 3, 2016

By Ray Hanania

Cook County’s Board of Review has a big problem and Marty Stack wants to change it.

It won’t be easy, though. Stack is the underdog in the race for the Cook County Board of Review, which is supposed to help taxpayers appeal their property taxes if those taxes are higher than the average tax on the same homes in your community.

The innocuously named Board of Review doesn’t really help taxpayers at all, but does seem to help tax lawyers make easy profits, and board members loads of campaign donations.

The system is confusing for many taxpayers, especially seniors. The forms are confusing. The deadlines are confusing. Even if you manage to fill out everything and provide all the legal documents, chances are the board will reject it.

But – and this is a big, wealthy, fat check of a “but” – if a taxpayer “hires” a tax appeals law firm to complete the forms, your chances of getting your appeal approved increases.

Who are these tax law firms? You could go online and spend months researching their names. Or, you could go to Patlak’s campaign forms at the Illinois State Board of Elections, www.Elections.IL.Gov, which reads like a Yellow Pages listing of tax appeal lawyers.

This is Ray Hanania’s column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News,Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, the Reporter Newspapers,NewsAmericaNetwork.com, and IllinoisNewsNetwork.com.

Hanania also writes a weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com.

An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the NewAmerica Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania is of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him and share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

(An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. American Palestinian Arab, Hanania writes a weekly column for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. He also writes each week for several mainstream American newspapers on American politics and life in Chicagoland. Reach him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

Ray Hanania's podcast on the myth of the Billy Goat curse on the Chicago Cubs by a Greek Immigrant in 1945. It was really put there by an Arab who sought to force the Cubs to rehire an Arab baseball player. Podcast column commentary, Oct. 24, 2016

The first Cubs curse was by an Arab

The first Cubs curse was by an Arab, but it was for a good reason. It was issued by Abdullah al-Tidhatch in 1908 after the Cubs refused to reinstate the league's first Arab player, Fareed Habibi, according to sources, myths and old wive's tales

By Ray Hanania

I worked at Chicago City Hall and I knew Mike Royko. I sat at Billy Goats many a time when he waxed poetic about the Cubs curse, and the truth.

The truth was the curse wasn’t put on the Chicago Cubs in 1945 by a Greek immigrant who owned a tavern and a goat, but by an Arab, the masters of the placing curses, with a goat and then several lambs.

This is a true story about the "Abdullah Goat" curse on the Cubs. Wallahi!

I learned about it through hints from Royko and other great journalists at City Hall, Bob Davis and Harry Golden, Jr., who, when learning I was Palestinian Arab, exclaimed, “Seriously, you’re not Puerto Rican?”

The curse was placed by an American Arab immigrant Abdullah al-Tidhatch in 1908 after trying three times beginning in 1906 to get the baseball team to rehire the league's only Arab American player, Fareed Habibi. Abdullah was told he could not bring a goat into Wrigley Field to bring luck to the team, even though he had season tickets that he got from his local alderman. The Cubs lost the 1906 World Series to the Chicago White Sox.

This is Ray Hanania’s
column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in
newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American
politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News,
Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, the Reporter Newspapers,
NewsAmericaNetwork.com, and IllinoisNewsNetwork.com.

Hanania also writes a
weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes
news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com.

An award winning
former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the New
America Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania
is of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him and
share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All
his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is
available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

Waking up to the new world of a Cubs Pennant

The Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers and reserved their place at the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. But before the World Series battle with the Cleveland Indians, the Cubs pennant victory inspired a generation of people nurtured in the aura of the "underdog" culture.

Oct. 27, 2016 DVN, SWNH, Regional News, Reporter Newspapers

By Ray Hanania

I've always loved the Chicago Cubs, ever since I was a kid on the South Side of Chicago where most of my neighbors were all diehard White Sox fans.

Still, maybe my love was with the Cubs' name. But I admired its players and fell in love with one of the greatest baseball parks in America, Wrigley Field.

Cheering for the Cubs to win the Pennant has always been fun, in a large part because they have always fallen short -- it's been 108 years since their last World Series victory (1908) and 71 years since winning their last Pennant (1945).

The Chicago Cubs were the "underdogs" of baseball, and maybe that
helped Cubs fans survive the losses and a mythical curse many claimed as the excuse.

The "underdog" is a powerful symbol of determination, persistence, and stubbornness. I'm definitely an "underdog" fan, especially in politics. But my love came from the popular “Underdog” animated TV series from the 1960s. ...

This is Ray Hanania’scolumn commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week innewspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on Americanpolitics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News,Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, the Reporter Newspapers,NewsAmericaNetwork.com, and IllinoisNewsNetwork.com.

Hanania also writes aweekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writesnews and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com.

An award winningformer Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the NewAmerica Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hananiais of Palestinian Arab heritage.

You can reach him andshare your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. Allhis columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast isavailable at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.